Chapter 144: Becoming an Internet-Famous Destination

In the end, acting on her agent's advice, Sun Ying decided to employ a "cold treatment" strategy. She stopped responding to any fan questions and refused to address the hair loss rumors whenever reporters brought them up in public.

Two days later, Gu Xiujin returned to Cunshantang. Because of Shao Siming’s interference during his last visit, he hadn't been able to complete his medicated bath. He had expected things to go smoothly this time, but he hadn't anticipated yet another complication.

Unbeknownst to them, Cunshantang had inadvertently become a viral sensation. Numerous minor social media influencers, eager to ride the coattails of the trending hair loss drama surrounding celebrities Sun Ying and Sima Wei, had begun flocking to the clinic just to check in and take photos.

By 8:00 PM, a long queue of people was still waiting outside the entrance to take pictures. Seeing this, Li Zhao suggested, "Mr. Gu, perhaps we should enter through the back door."

"Very well," Gu Xiujin agreed. The two men walked to the rear entrance and knocked. Zhou Jinfan’s voice sounded from within, laced with caution: "Who is it?"

"It is Gu Xiujin," he replied coldly. A second later, Zhou Jinfan threw the door open, scanned the surroundings warily, and urged, "Mr. Gu, come in quickly."

Once they were in the courtyard, Zhou Jinfan let out a long sigh of relief. Li Zhao asked curiously, "What’s going on?"

"Don't even ask," Zhou Jinfan explained. "Ever since the boss bluntly stated on Weibo that Sun Ying and Sima Wei both suffer from severe hair loss, this place has turned into a hotspot for influencers. Since this morning, there have been crowds outside taking photos."

"Some even try to drag the boss into their videos, which left her in a foul mood all day. She’s been hiding in the back courtyard just to avoid seeing patients."

In truth, even Xie Qingtang had not expected that her simple medical observation would cause such an uproar, or that it would inexplicably turn her clinic into a trendy destination.

A moment later, Xie Qingtang emerged from her room holding a prepared herbal packet. "You know the drill from last time," she said to Gu Xiujin. "I don't need to repeat myself. Go in."

"Understood." Without further ado, Gu Xiujin followed the established procedure, and with no interruptions this time, he submerged himself into the medicinal bath.

After Xie Qingtang finished the acupuncture session, she wiped the sweat from her brow and warned, "No matter what happens, you must not leave the tub, do you understand?"

"I understand," Gu Xiujin nodded, hoping there would be no more surprises. Just then, Song Qing ran over from the front hall, breathless. "Clinic Director, there are so many influencers outside, and they all want to take photos with you."

"Drive them away. I don't want to be put on display like a monkey," Xie Qingtang said flatly, her brow furrowed in annoyance before she turned back into her room.

She had recently experienced the sensation of being sought after, but she found she did not like it at all. For the past few days, she had been closing the clinic promptly at 7:00 PM to keep the influencers from breaching their final line of defense.

Watching Xie Qingtang treat the influencers like a plague, a meaningful smile touched Gu Xiujin’s lips before he sank back into the bath.

Time passed quickly. An hour later, Xie Qingtang came out and tapped on the edge of the tub, where Gu Xiujin was resting with his eyes closed. "Time is up. You should come out now."

She removed the silver needles from his body and packed them away, while Li Zhao approached with a clean set of clothes.

Once dressed, Gu Xiujin could clearly feel his body improving. He nodded to Xie Qingtang and said, "I have already transferred the consultation fee to your account."

"Perfect. Be careful on your way out; don't let those people get any photos of you. I’ve seen the power of the internet firsthand," Xie Qingtang said, shuddering at the thought.

Gu Xiujin nodded cautiously. He was far more adept at protecting his personal information than anyone else. He sat in his wheelchair and was pushed out of Cunshantang by Li Zhao.

"Dad, I recall that our Wang Pharmaceuticals recently developed a highly effective hair growth serum, didn't we?" Seeing the trending topic on Weibo, Wang Miao'er felt a surge of surprise. She hurried to Wang Kaishan’s study and asked, her voice tinged with urgency.

Wang Kaishan looked at his daughter, puzzled, then nodded. "That is correct, we did just finish developing one. But you aren't the one in charge of that project."

"Dad, can I ask you for a favor? From today on, please let me take charge of the hair growth serum project," Wang Miao'er said, her eyes bright with ambition.

Though he didn't know why his daughter was so keen on this, Wang Kaishan nodded indulgently and agreed.

Seeing her father’s approval, Wang Miao'er jumped for joy and left the study. The very next morning, she had her secretary reach out to Sun Ying.

"Wang Pharmaceuticals? Why are they contacting me? Decline," Sun Ying said. She hadn't been able to sleep due to her hair loss, and the chronic anxiety meant that every morning, she woke up to find a thick layer of hair on her pillow. Her mood was increasingly volatile.

Her agent urged her, "Sun Ying, don't throw a tantrum. Wang Pharmaceuticals is a massive enterprise. Besides, I heard they are reaching out specifically because they saw that trending topic on Weibo."

Upon hearing this, Sun Ying’s expression wavered. Swayed by her agent's advice, she finally agreed to meet with the person in charge at Wang Pharmaceuticals: Wang Miao'er.

That evening, a nanny van pulled up to a five-star hotel. Sun Ying, wearing large sunglasses, hurried inside and made her way to the private room Wang Miao'er had reserved.

"Ms. Sun, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am the manager in charge at Wang Pharmaceuticals, Wang Miao'er," she said, standing up and reaching out politely to shake Sun Ying’s hand.

Sun Ying offered a gentle smile in return, shook her hand, and sat down. She got straight to the point: "My agent mentioned that you reached out because you saw the trending news on Weibo."